How Much is Forever Worth?
by alittlebitdifferent394
Summary: Thalia Grace vowed to give up boys forever when she became a Hunter of Artemis. When she develops feelings for her fellow hunter and best friend, Carter Young, things get a bit confusing. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Half Blood, or any of the characters, besides Carter. This is my first try at something like this, so reviews would be much appreciated.**

She had sworn off boys for the entirety of her immortal life. It had been easy for her, because she didn't really even _like_ boys. Of course, Thalia could never tell anybody that. The Hunters of Artemis were often called things like "dykes" and "lesbians" just because they had chosen to remain maidens forever. However, the majority of the hunters were completely straight. Besides, Thalia wasn't even sure if she was breaking the rules or not. She had vowed to never fall in love with a boy, but never agreed to swear off girls. But how was she supposed to know if that would be tolerated? It's not like she could go up to Artemis and say "Hey, I'm in love with one of your hunters, is that okay?" Besides, Thalia wasn't just a hunter; she was the lieutenant. And there was no way that Carter Young would ever feel the same way.

But gods, she was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that didn't need to try. At least Thalia thought so. Her hair was long and dark, especially compared against her fair, flawless skin. Her eyes were a warm chocolaty brown, and they always seemed to twinkle. Her smile was crooked, but at the same time, it was perfect. It came effortlessly, and it was always contagious. Thalia loved her dimples, and the little smirk she did. She was short; She came up to Thalia's chin. She was curvy, but skinny. Her face nearly always remained makeup-free, and she preferred skinny jeans and converse to nearly anything else. She was simple, but in that simplicity, Thalia found beauty.

What really attracted Thalia, though, was Carter's radiant personality. As a daughter of Athena she was extremely clever, and nearly always had a solution to nearly every problem. Unlike Thalia, she was never impulsive, although she was often fiery. She always stood up for herself and others, and spoke out when she saw something that she thought was wrong. She always looked on the bright side, often keeping the hunters optimistic, even through the worst situations. Honestly, Carter was like the glue of the group. Always looking out for her friends, she took care of them physically, mentally, and emotionally. Also, she was beyond talented. Her free time was often spent writing music or creating beautiful works of art. Thalia loved that about her: the fact that Carter was always creating things. She was always making something beautiful out of horrible situations. Thalia often thought of her as her complete opposite: Thalia always seemed to be destroying things. On the days when she felt unusually hopeless, Thalia tried to cling to the saying "opposites attract". _Maybe we could balance each other out,_ Thalia. _Or she could balance me out, at least. I don't have anything good to offer her. _

When Thalia first joined the hunters, Carter had been the first to extend a hand of friendship, and they had quickly become good friends. Now, years later, Thalia considered Carter to be her best friend. They were always there for each other, they could always make each other laugh, and even when they were fighting, and beyond pissed at each other, they never forgot that they cared deeply about each other. And they both knew that was most important.

On an unusually cold winter day, the Hunters of Artemis had all decided to visit their cabin at Camp Half Blood. They had just successfully caught a particularly nasty monster, but several of the maidens were nursing injuries. Since they were nearby, Thalia, as lieutenant, decided it would be best if they stopped for a few nights. After a nice, warm meal, Thalia grabbed a coat and joined her friends Percy and Annabeth for a walk.

"I can tell something's bothering you, you know," Annabeth said, her hand in Percy's.

Thalia, who had long ago decided she would never discuss her feelings with anyone, tried to deny that there was something wrong. But she had never been a good liar, and her friends knew her too well.

"You can trust us, you know," Percy told her.

Because she was tired, and tired of being lonely, Thalia opened up before she could think better of it. "I know I'm a hunter of Artemis and I traded boys for immortality but I don't really even like boys which is confusing in itself and I was kind of always raised to believe that that's wrong and I sort of always feel like there's something wrong with me but I can't even help it and I really like this girl Carter because she's beautiful and perfect but she'll never feel the same as me and I don't even know if this is against the rules or not but I don't think Artemis would like it and I think I'm supposed to remain a maiden for ever but gods I really like her," Thalia said all in one breath. She immediately wanted to feel relief, but she was nervous. What if Percy and Annabeth thought she was a freak?

Percy stared at her with mouth agape but Annabeth rushed to hug her and immediately started pouring out support. " Of course there's nothing wrong with you! Anybody who says otherwise is definitely not worth your time".

Percy was still standing in silence, slightly shocked, but then Annabeth nudged him, and he seemed to recover a little bit. "Um, yeah, what she said. That's um, if that's who you are, then I'm completely fine with it, and anybody who really cares about you will be too,"

Thalia felt tears starting to form in her eyes. She had imagined moments like this over and over, and she never thought it would go over so well. She never would have expected their reactions to be this good.

"And I bet this girl does like you. Well I mean, if she swings that way," Percy started, and Annabeth finished with "She would be crazy not to".

"But what about Artemis?"

"I think that's something you should discuss with Carter", Annabeth pointed out.

Percy and Annabeth both hugged her tightly, and she wished the moment could last forever. It felt so good to have somebody know her secrets, and still care about her. Having their arms around her was one of the best feelings in the world. Looking back at that time, she couldn't believe she had expected her friends to stop caring about her. Thalia had been silly to think they wouldn't accept her for who she was.

Later that night, when Thalia was lying awake on her bunk, she heard a few sniffles, and the cabin door opening and closing. Wondering who it was and what was wrong, she threw off her blankets and embraced the cold night. To her surprise, Thalia saw the dark but unmistakable figure of Carter walking away from the cabin. Thalia shouted at her, and Carter stopped dead in her tracks. Thalia ran up to her and threw her arms around her best friend.

"What's wrong?" Thalia asked, reaching out to wipe the tears of Carter's face, then stopping because she was afraid of making her feelings obvious. Carter finished the job herself.

"It's nothing... it's just... I feel so alone... I don't know what to do anymore... Have you ever had a secret, a secret so big, so horrible, you couldn't tell anybody?"

Thalia actually laughed out loud. At Carter's confused look, Thalia explained with "I know that feeling all too well. You're not alone. You have me, your best friend". Carter looked slightly more hopeful at being referred to as a best friend. Sometimes she needed someone to reassure her that she was important. Thalia was glad to see some of her friend's optimism back in her warm eyes.

Carter's eyes met Thalia's, and in that moment, they both knew. Their eyes were betraying their secrets, telling the things they had sworn to never share. A thousand emotions crossed Carter's face, and Thalia wanted to make the pain stop.

And so she kissed her. Carter responded, slowly and restrained at first, but increasingly passionately. She slowly began to let go, to let her guard down. Thalia ran her hand through the other girl's hair, and she could feel Carter's lips slowly turn into a smile. Snow fell from the sky, they were both freezing, and their cheeks were pink. But their closeness created heat between them. The moment was cliché, and almost too perfect. Thalia usually hated that stuff. But she didn't have to care. All of her worries simply flew away, and suddenly she believed in all the love stories she had ever been told. She began to believe in happy endings. And that's why she needed Carter. Carter could keep Thalia's head in the clouds, and Thalia could keep Carter's feet on the ground.

Thalia slowly pulled away. "What about Artemis? I somehow feel that this isn't exactly allowed."

Carter smiled. "You know, I don't think I care so much anymore. I think I would trade up forever to be with you."

Thalia was silent for a moment, and Carter added, "Oh wait, was that too cheesy?"

Thalia laughed, and soon Carter joined, and her perfectly flawed smile put butterflies in Thalia's stomach. Thalia reached out to grab her hand, and Carter met her half way. They walked back to their cabin, unable to stop their happiness from showing on their flushed faces.


End file.
